Michel Gelobter (1992) Public Data-archiving: a Fair Return on Publicly Funded Research. Psycoloquy: 3(56) Data Archive (3)

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PSYCOLOQUY (ISSN 1055-0143) is sponsored by the American Psychological Association (APA).
Psycoloquy 3(56): Public Data-archiving: a Fair Return on Publicly Funded Research

PUBLIC DATA-ARCHIVING: A FAIR RETURN ON PUBLICLY FUNDED RESEARCH
Commentary on Skoyles on Data-Archiving

Michel Gelobter
School of International and Public Affairs
Columbia University
New York, NY 10021

mg78@cunixf.columbia.edu or gelobter@garnet.berkeley.edu

Abstract

Skoyles's (1992) idea is excellent. Some form of the process Skoyles recommends should be adopted throughout the research world, but he fails to take on the thorny issue of data ownership directly. The Federal Government could adopt guidelines for the status of data aquired through government subsidy. They would specify the format and availability of all data gathered at taxpayer expense. This proposal would revolutionize the research "business" by putting cutting edge results in the public domain. I believe that the research our taxes pay for should not be channelled to private entrepreneurs. The profit from developing and using publicly funded research can still be guaranteed through licensing, but the monopoly "rent" derived from the control of data and results must be returned to the public domain.

Keywords

data archiving, deception, electronic retrieval, error detection, ftp, fraud, meta-analysis, statistics, public domain, public property, federal funding.
1.1 Skoyles's (1992) idea is excellent. I have often considered it myself, albeit for different reasons (outlined below). Some form of the process Skoyles recommends should be adopted almost universally, throughout the research world. (As Hypertext and Multimedia computers become a reality, qualitative research disciplines could adopt similar procedures. The Humanities already distribute CDs with every possible version of classical texts and commentaries cross-indexed.)

1.2 Having worked for United States Congressman John Dingell myself, I know that a primary concern has been that data, often gathered at the expense of the public through public research funding, can be:

   (a) fraudulently gathered and analyzed (representing, when not
   detected, an unaccountable waste of our money), and

   (b) used by private parties for great profit in developing patented
   rights to drugs, and now, genetic material.

1.3 The former concern is mostly addressed by Skoyles's proposal, but he fails to take on the latter thorny issue of data ownership directly. The Federal Government could adopt guidelines for the status of data aquired through direct or indirect government subsidy. These guidelines could be as legally binding as the requirements imposed on institutions receiving federal library assistance. They would specify the format and availability of all data gathered at taxpayer expense.

1.4 This proposal would revolutionize the research "business" by putting cutting edge results in the public domain, for public use. The problem is that it might remove that wonderful private sector incentive for research that we academicians so deny as motivation for our work: greed.

1.5 I believe that the research our taxes pay for should not be used to line the pockets of private entrepreneurs. The profit from developing and using publicly funded research can still be guaranteed through licensing, but the monopoly "rent" (to use economic terminology) derived from the control of data and results must be returned to the public domain. Skoyles's proposal goes a long way towards doing this.

REFERENCES

Skoyles, John R. (1992) Public Electronic Archiving and Retrieval of Raw Scientific Data. PSYCOLOQUY 3(29) data-archive.1


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